The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-01

is called political economy. but We
whose occupation Il gone in conss-
quence Of it. don't understand It."
Then you are not free-trader?"
'.NAy. sir; 1 don't know what am.
I only know that this trade has gone.
and do know that nothing eke has
turned up for myself and son to do. -
we have been told. Try something
else. they say; but what shall we try?
Many an old friend Of mine. and men.
too, who could earn their e. week in
olden times. tried something else and
starved ut it. We are working on star
walton wages. but what else can we
dos"
found that the old weaver and his
son were sober, Industrious people.
They were teetotalers. members of .
chapel, and exceptional people. and
yet their earnings only came to $3.50
or 8 per week.
In visiting other weavers' homes I
found much that was Notwithstanding
and wretehed By long, weary hours
of labor enough could be made to keep
o spark of vitality burning from day
to day. The Bethnal Green weaver.
as a rule, is thin, rather bent, with q
complexion Of celery white. His eyes
are hollow and expressionless. He
has no time to read, as he keeps his
loom running long into the night, and
rarely mingles with humanity outside.
When he lies down to rest, in the same
room with his loom. often wonder if
the poor fellow dreams Of the scenes of
splendor which the soft silk plush.
stretched upon the hideOus piece Of
machinery SO near his couch, will one
day witness in the bathrooms of the West
End. Long before this letter is pup
lished her Majesty Queen Victoria will
make the second visit during a reign
of half century to this part of her do
minions OF course the streets through
which her most precious Majesty will
pass will be the most agreeable. There
are some sights in this quarter which I
could conduct her to, surprising any
thing in horrible wretchedness that the
mind of Gustave Dore could conceive.
But all this is kept from the Queen.
And while the Government spends q
hundred thousand dollars without a
squirm to scat handful of notables in
Westminster Abbey for an hour, or The
people another million for an extra
statue of the Prince ConsOrt, which are
now a. thick AS Ruben's paintings or
the Continent, thousands are starving
to death for want of work.
Returning for a moment to the silk
industry, it may not be out Of place in
this letter. the only one l shall write
on the subject to say that commits
sion recently appointed by Parliament
to ascertain the cause of this decline
addressed q letter to the Board of
Trade of the several silk centers of the
country and received the following re-
plies:
Observation-Disclosures of Protec-
ton.
Coventry-Free imports Of French
and German goods. combined with
high duties imposed by other countries
on our goods.
Derby-Withdrawal Of Protection.
Leek-Scwing-silk trade maintained
itself.
Observation-Disclosures Of Protection
Macclesfield-Free importation Of
French and German goods, especially
black silks, velvets and mixed goods
Manchester-The French treaty.
Middleton-The French treaty Of
1860, coupled with the adulterated
dyes introduced into England.
Nottingham-No decline, owing to
the large increase in the use of silk
lace.
The replies to the Parliamentary in
quiry in relation 10 the collapse of the
British silk industry in the nine prin-
cipal silk centers of the trade are brief.
direct and tinged with sadness.
For my own part l would rather pay
double for manufactures of silk than
feel that . once prosperous industry
had been destroyed and that indus
trious bread winners had been reduced
to beggary. In 1888 and again in 1885
/ visited the other centers of the silk
industry in England, and found that
what we have seen has happened in
London had likewise. with one or two
exceptions happened in the other
manufacturing towns. The silk in
dustry in England has not migrated
from one center to the other, but de-
cayed under the influence Of Free
Trade.-Robert r. Porter, in PkiladeI-